When the time comes to get a domain name for a new hobby site or online business, or just to secure your own name as a dot com, the process is fast and easy.
To begin with, select the name you want. Many of the internet domain services, like Godaddy, offer various tools which will help you. You type in any name, and they will inform you whether the domain is taken already or not. If it is not yet taken, you can get it for yourself. If it is already taken by someone else, then the internet registration service will offer you varieties of the domain name to consider, or you could try other suffixes, such as .net, .org or even .mobi.
Although .com domain names are still the most well-recognized, the daily hits you will get to your new domain depends on your web promotion abilities and will have not much to do with the suffix, so don't be to worried if you don't get the .com version of the name you would like.
Assuming you have found the internet domain name you like, and it is not already taken by somebody else, what do you do next?
Having used a site like Godaddy, and having performed the search for a name and established that it is free, you will be able to click on a 'Proceed to Checkout' button or a similar option.
You can also select the period you want to make the registration last – from 1 to ten years. If you have big plans for the domain, or want it as an investment, go for a longer registration. If the registered domain is just for resale, choose a shorter time.
Next, you have to enter your name and address and email contact details. When you own a company, you will also insert the company name. This information is used for the registration of the domain – the name is recorded as legally yours, for the time period you have chose for the registration. In technical terms, you become the 'registrant' of the domain, and no-one else can register it.
Next, you will be able to select whether your registration is to be a public or a private one. A public registration means that anyone using a Whois lookup service has the ability to investigate the domain name and see who owns it. While planning the website you are going to put online, you may decide paying the small additional charge for a private registration which restricts viewing of your details will be a good idea to avoid spam or crank messages.
Having made your selection, you can give your credit card or Paypal details, make the payment, and the domain becomes your own, for the period of years you have selected. A good registrar like Godaddy will inform you, using the contact details you registered with, when the time arrives to update or renew registration of your domain.
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